Since playing with the Sigma 50-150mm last month, I’ve thought about switching back to Nikon. The Sigma zooms the way Nikons’ zoom, i.e. you turn it clockwise to zoom in, and that just feels so much more natural to me. The more I played around with the D200s and D80s, the more I realized how much more natural they felt. Although I have been using Canon for the past two years, it hasn’t been enough time to unlearn the habits of my previous 20 years with Nikon. I guess as craftsmen, the tools we use become very much an extension of ourselves.
The body I really want is a D200 - fast, rugged and weatherproof. Unfortunately, it is just too big, too heavy and much too power hungry for me. The D40X is much smaller and lighter, but it lacks certain features I want. The D80 looks to be a good compromise. It is about 200 grams (almost a half pound) heavier with the Nikkor12-24mm DX lens compared to my XT 350D with Canon10-22mm lens. My next project could be a 300 km trail run in the Himalaya and the extra weight may not be a burden I want to put up with.
While I love my Canon 350D, I will probably also buy a Nikon D80. I’ll use both Canon and Nikon systems for a while and review the pros and cons of each camera before deciding which one to keep. I just wish I hadn’t sold off all my Nikon glass last year…
